FCC Hears Concerns on Streamlined Copper Retirement Rules
AARP remains concerned about older adults having an “uninterrupted ability” to reach 911 as the FCC considers proposals to speed up copper retirements and other network changes (see 2509300039), the group said in reply comments Tuesday in docket 25-208. “Because the transition will not occur overnight, it is important to establish a robust consumer-friendly roadmap to guide the nation’s modernization of its telecommunications network such that the transition is seamless for consumers and important consumer protections are retained.”
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NTCA said streamlined rules shouldn’t come at the expense of consumers or public safety. The FCC’s proposal “to classify mobile wireless service and satellite service as adequate replacements for discontinued wireline voice service raises concerns in the absence of more reliable data confirming that such services are in fact available.” The FCC’s broadband data collection doesn't gather, and its maps don’t depict, data on “the availability of voice services at a granular serviceable location (i.e., Fabric ID) level,” the group noted. The agency instead “collects voice subscriptions (not availability) at the state or census tract levels (and not at individual locations).”
USTelecom, meanwhile, urged the FCC to streamline the Communications Act Section 214(a) discontinuance process by allowing for conditional forbearance. Under that approach, “a provider may cease providing legacy voice services where at least one alternative voice option is available in the area and affected customers receive at least 45-days advance notice, ensuring that no member of a community is left without access to voice service.”
The FCC should also address barriers in state law that “undermine federal relief by preempting state carrier of last resort obligations that conflict with federal law” and by clarifying state responsibilities to process eligible telecom carrier relinquishments “promptly under a defined shot clock,” USTelecom said.